If you've ever used project analytics, you've probably gotten disappointed with this tool at some point. Many PMs abandon dashboards over time because the data is difficult to apply to business value. We also went through this and now we want to share our experience - how to turn project analytics into a really convenient tool.
We will talk about the example of Azure DevOps (TFS), which all our teams have been using since this year. At different times, we went through different project management systems, and as a result, we realized that it is Azure DevOps that combines almost everything a developer needs: project management, code repository, assembly, test and release management.
And, returning to our topic, there are dashboards that allow you to track the dynamics of teams, the quality of releases, and bug fixes. Some are built into the system by default, others can be configured manually.
For analytics to be truly useful, it must meet the following conditions:
Even before the dashboard appeared, you already collected this data manually, and the new panel only automates this work.
The dashboard describes the real processes within the team that are directly related to its effectiveness.
Analytics gives a real understanding of the situation, problems and risks, and not just shows how great everyone is.
Pins can be scaled to other teams and projects - all have a single coordinate system.
Now let's talk about the capabilities of Azure DevOps in this regard.
First about default dashboards
We asked our PMs what data from the base set they use in their dashboards and got the following list:
Lead Time. Shows the time it takes for one task to go through the entire process, from creation to closing.
Cycle Time. Shows the time that the task is in development from the moment it was started to the final delivery.
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Not only PM, but also other team members use analytics - everyone speaks the same language and knows which metrics are important for the release. These technologies can be easily scaled up further so that the entire company operates on the same best practices.